7 THINGS I DO IN THE USA BUT NOT IN GERMANY

[@HayleyAlexis]

Random facts with Hayley: Did you know that well water is a thing in the USA? A lot of people (especially Germans) that talk about water in the USA only talk about “city/public” water and rarely talk about “private” well water. I thought this might be an interesting fact for people watching this video. The majority of my childhood/teenage years were spent living with A LOT OF well water. I never grew up with the “stinky” American water nor knew that water tasted like chlorine until I moved to a bigger city when I was about 20 years old.

[@frankmitchell3594]

Bear in mind that well water is not the same in all areas. The taste and quality depends very much on the underground rock and on the ground surface that the rain falls on.

[@kaiso4939]

In Deutschland ist das Wasser regional ao unterschiedlich! In Norddeutschland (auch ins Soest NRW) ist das Leitungswasser eigentlich exzellent, teils besser als als das Wasser aus der Flasche. In Koblenz und Umgebung ist selbst das örtliche "Mineralwasser" vollkommen verkalkt! Das schlimmste Kalkwasser kenne ich nur aus München, Da bekomme ich schon vom Zähneputzen Sodbrennen vom Wasser!

[@kaiso4939]

Ich kann mir gut Vorstellen, das man das Wasser auf dem Land in den USA auch sehr gut trinken kann...Im Maryland hat das Wasser nicht nach Chlor gestunken.

[@Alias_Anybody]

@@kaiso4939 Die Idee dass kalkhaltiges Wasser schlecht für dich wäre ist wohl der brutalste Placebo der jüngeren Geschichte.

[@ruthhunter3381]

Well water is what I grew up with as well. Never had smelly sulfur type water. Usually just a lot of calcium... I also don't have an extra limb... Lol

[@StarOnTheWater]

No elbows on the table (same "rule" in Europe btw): People used to be way dirtier from manual labour. They did wash their hands for eating, but the table was supposed to be clean, so no dirty shirt or elbows. Hands above the table: So your company is assured you are not holding a weapon. I'm surprised this doesn't also apply in the US with their special relationship to guns.

[@maxw2974]

My CT Family cuts EVERYTHING in small pieces before eating and they just use the Fork. First time I had Dinner with them it was a little strange to look at and I thought it’s like cutting food for little Baby’s 🤣

[@papalaz4444244]

this

[@JackieOdonnel]

The one-hand-in-the-lap thing when eating in America stems from our prior etiquette of "your arms/elbow should not rest on the table." Basically, our etiquette used to be "if you aren't actively using your hands/arms, then they should not be on the table. Frankly, that is outdated, but now we (Americans collectively) have those behaviors ingrained. We all eat with our non-active hand on our lap. In Germany (and Europe, in general), I eat with both arms up, and I rest the side of my arms (but still no elbows!) on the table when they are not in use.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I rest my arms as well for the most part... especially at home... but in a restaurant it is very rare for me to be sitting like I would in the USA..it is quite bizarre.

[@althelas]

A few years ago, I've read an article written by a historian who did some research and he said that the habit of eating with one hand under the table comes from the old times in the Wild West, where you had to be prepared to draw your gun very fast if you get attacked and somehow that habit survived until today.

[@EnbyFranziskaNagel]

@@althelas And I have heard that having both hands is a Security measure to avoid being stabbed by your enemys under the table. Both hands are visible the entire time.

[@JackieOdonnel]

@@HayleyAlexis It really IS strange how we totally eat one way in the US but another way entirely in Germany. But I do it too! So, it's a THING.

[@JackieOdonnel]

@@althelas That is AWESOME (in a weird and twisted way, haha)!

[@kaiso4939]

Hallo, das Wechseln von Messer und Gabel beim essen in den USA ist mir auch aufgefallen! Ich fand das einfach nur umständlich... Ein Hand unter Tisch haben ist auf dem Kontinent in Europa wirklich sehr verpönt, außer in England. Hier fragt man sich immer, hat der Amerikaner die eine Hand am Colt oder warum macht der das? ;-))

[@hape3862]

Nicht nur umständlich. Dieses hin und her wechseln von Messer und Gabel sieht regelrecht behindert aus.

[@nataliac7506]

Well water is heavenly goodness! And I learned from doing home health care, it can be illegal in some places to have doors that lock automatically, something about it being considered barring someone in your home if the door locks automatically..

[@all_in_for_JESUS]

I always have grocerie bags in my handbag. And I also have a lot of bags in the trunk of my car.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Oh, it's _embarrassing_ how hard it is to recycle in the US. Especially in light how how much _easier_ it used to be. I mean I remember, the house my grandmother lived in, ages ago, she had two gallons of milk _delivered,_ every week. She had a milk chute, and it had to have been one of the handiest things in the _world._ The guy delivering milk would drop by in the wee hours of the morning, open that chute, pick up the empty gallon-jugs left from his _previous_ visit, replace 'em with _full_ jugs, and go on his way. These were not the kinds of jugs sold at the supermarket, though. These were jugs _specifically designed_ to be reused. So one of us would bring 'em in, pour 'em out into the gallon jug-containers we had in the fridge (which _were_ from the supermarket), rinse 'em out, and put 'em back to wait for the guy to come pick 'em up again the _next_ week. The whole process _embodied_ elegance and efficiency. If one _ever_ wasted a bottle, it was by _accident._ Of course, it depended on having a working milk chute, and a situation of trust with one's neighbors. Maybe those are necessary in order to be able to recycle.

[@davidmorgan6896]

Milk deliveries are still 'a thing' in the UK; though no longer as common as the once were. Only, the milkman delivers every weekday and uses pint bottles - Imperial pints (570ml); a bit easier to handle than a short-gallon. The glass bottles were designed to be reused many times and would be recycled at the end of their lives. I gave up on doorstep deliveries in the 90s as the local dairy delivered too late and the milk would sit on the doorstep all day.

[@Sunaki1000]

And they just trow it in the Ocean. Its just disgusting, fuck the Enviounment right?

[@missd2657]

I'd never heard of the cutlery thing before until I read an article about Kate Winslet's role in the 'Mare of East town' and how fantastic she was in role especially her accent and mannerisms. Then I read a comment on the article which read 'yes, she was good, but she used her cutlery like a British person'. It was such an odd comment to me, but it looks like you have cleared that up for me now.

[@Paul_C]

Florida and water... touchy subject. Even well water might not be safe today....

[@jm3779]

What upsets me currently in Southern California while staying at not a really cheap hotel. I would call it quite expensive for the standard offered. Great room, clean safe place but, the breakfast is unhealthy garbage and in addition served with paper plates and plastic utensils. Wtf they are not able to use normal silverware and proper porcelain plates? It made me feeling like a total ripoff and below standard. I can stay in Europe in a hotel room for a third of that price and will get better breakfast on proper plates and real silverware. They produce trash in a crazy amount here every day. It’s just stupid. There a about 200 rooms and they can’t get a dishwasher? What’s wrong with these people here?

[@HayleyAlexis]

One of my biggest pet peeves (and maybe I am just a spoiled "pseudo-European") when I go back to the USA is eating on paper plates and using plastic utensils.. I could literally scream from the mountaintops.. I HATE PLASTIC UTENSILS AND PAPER PLATES.. I could seriously make a whole video of me being upset in the USA when being offered plastic plates and utensils. Last time I was back in Florida I went to the Ritz Carlton and they offered plastic utensils.. I asked for a real knife and fork... It is ridiculous and it pisses me off like no tomorrow. It is laziness... People have dishwashers- they just hate doing dishes and would rather throw dirty stuff away.

[@michaeleckhard763]

Lol, going to the outhouse in the backyard and than drinking from the well/spring in the backyard. Tasty.

[@marenhuwald1445]

In my youth you never left the house without a 'shopping net' In case there was any food in the store at all. The milk we would carry home in a metallic container measured into by hand in the store. Butter was bought as a slab on a special piece of paper. When the baker had fresh bread we stood in line for ages. (Corn meal sent to us by the Americans. We did had never eaten corn before).

[@Alias_Anybody]

The one issue I see with well water is that IF something goes wrong you won't notice for a while because it's not nearly as frequently monitored.

[@synkraut9633]

As a lefty I‘ve been tought by my parents to at least have the table manners in the classical way in Germany. It‘s not really a big deal to eat the conventional way (compared to writing). What disturbed me much more with the Americans I met is their habit to always have the TV running even when in a serious conversation…

[@soapbubbles8888]

I find it inappropriate to force a lefty to eat the "right" way. Why shouldn't you be allowed to switch fork and knife as a lefty?

[@nataliabrizan]

I live in the Caribbean, we don't wear shoes in the house, it is disgusting actually, we have a slipper at home and that is what we wear in the house or just walk barefoot

[@kopfkino317]

A couple of my friends are left handed so they use the knife with the left hand and the fork with the right hand. For right handed people it's the other way round (like you have shown). This happends because usually when we are little we get thaught to use the knife with the "strong" hand and the fork with the "weak" hand. And like always there are exceptions. A few of my left handed friends use the knife with the right and fork with the left because in restaurants the cuttlery is prepared that way and they just got used to it. (E.g.: Just like with a shared computer mouse at work).

[@kennethzinn7294]

I'm living in 20+YEARS now and still do the knive and fork thing sometimes.

[@wora1111]

While studying I used to travel to Greece every summer for about four weeks with just my backpack, my tent and some friends. In Germany I had a strong dislike for all kinds of salad, in Greece I ate them every day. Lots of ingredients the same, loved it in Greece, disliked it in Germany. That only ended when I visited a Greek restaurant in Germany and ordered the food I loved in Greece. And noticed how stupid I had been before. Habits form in everybody and they are caused by experiences in a certain context. Think of how you would react if a person you trust tells you something that is hard to believe and compare that with your reaction if a stranger would tell you the same story. Most people will believe it in the first case and doubt it in the second case. In most cases it is a good idea to take your surroundings into consideration for "automatic" responses. The negative version of this is called prejudice though :-(

[@slappedhappy9549]

Great Video!Love your open ways to talk about the differences between US+GERMANY!Thanx! 👍

[@marenhumblebee2736]

Love this! So cool! Subscribed immediately when I heard your take on table manners!!!!

[@cdnest]

The knife is always taken in the dominant hand, that's logical, because you have more power with the dominant hand ;)

[@MrJueKa]

@@jurgen7579 sorry, but this has really nothing to do with upbringing, just whether you are left-handed or right-handed, you hold the knife in the hand in which you have the most strength to make it easier to cut food

[@jlpack62]

The biggest problem with recycling plastic in the USA is that almost nowhere takes #5 plastic, and there so many items that are #5 used in to-go containers, etc. I find myself collecting them in my home because I just can't bring myself to throw them away.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I usually go out of my way to NOT take plastic utensils from restaurants/stores. I will take them out of the bag and give them back to the people (the ones wrapped in plastic with a napkin).

[@jochenlutz6524]

Very interesting what you told about recycling in the US.

[@Ron-uq2hg]

In many taste tests. New York City consistently ranks as the best tasting water. Crazy but the water is so clean coming from the mountains the water is filtered but not treated.

[@PennyAfNorberg]

As Lefthanded swedes we eat with the fork in the left hand, just as righthanders.

[@LaureninGermany]

I needed an upload from you today. Where I grew up in the countryside in Wales, the tap water was so disgusting I feel ill think of it. I remember trying to drink it after living in Germany and really being revolted. If I could make that really cool uh- uh noise you make, I would, be I just have to swear instead. I always feel really privileged to drink tap water in my own home here in Germany. And I totally appreciate the removing of shoes, but hate doing it in other people‘s houses. What to wear? Those horrendous communal slippers? Noooo! One time I was singing at a private house concert in Munich and had to stand there in an evening gown and ******* slippers. Because their floor was priceless, apparently, not because they couldn’t wash it when I left. Btw, Hayley - I saw you supported me and I am so grateful, it’s super nice of you ❤️🤗😘

[@davidmorgan6896]

I grew up in Wales and the water was lovely.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@davidmorgan6896 which part? I’m from Wales and it was awful in my area (Gwent) 😢

[@davidmorgan6896]

@@LaureninGermany it was Carmarthenshire when I was born, Dyfed growing up and is Carmarthenshire again now.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@davidmorgan6896 beautiful, love it there. Greet my homeland for me xxx 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@annwyche5471]

Ich gehe in den USA oft zu Aldi und da muss man auch Tüten mitbringen 😃

[@HayleyAlexis]

Ja aber da sind nur 2000 Aldi's in Amerika.... das ist nicht so viel. Die meisten Amerikaner die ich kenne... gehen nicht zu Aldi. Ich meine "allgemein"

[@annwyche5471]

@@HayleyAlexis liegt glaub daran wo man wohnt, ich habe 2 ganz in der Nähe da bietet sich das an. Gibt einem ein bisschen das heimische Gefühl lol

[@petma656]

man muss ??????????????????

[@ruthhunter3381]

When I visited fb friends in Cologne 3 years ago I took my shoes off after watching several Americans who were living in Germany tell me that's what was expected.... The reaction of my fb friends 1 minute after I met them in person? "What are you doing?!" 🤷🏻 A bag filled with bags has its home in my car. 😊 It took awhile to get in the habit but I rarely forget now.... Our water comes out of the nice, clean aquafer in Florida... We run our drinking water through osmosis filter but it tastes fine anyway. The filter plus glass reusable containers was our effort to stop using plastic bottles. Yay!

[@halbmetallmensch]

For me (German) it's normal to take of my shoes, and whenever someone is saying I can keep on my shoes, I think it is really weird 😆

[@19sunheart96]

I think Germany is quite divided on this. I would say majority takes shoes off, but there are some people who regularly keep them on in their home as well. And some would generally take them off but still tell you that you can keep yours on to be polite. I would say taking them off (or at least offering to) is more common but it's not as hard and fast as it is in most parts of Asia where this is a very strict rule, absolutely no shoes inside ever.

[@Alsterwave]

I don't know if you already knew that but there is a really common "saying" in Germany: GabeL Links, MesseR Rechts. That's how you can always remember it and that's how Germans get taught to hold their cutlery 😂

[@fionafurman9815]

I’m a dual citizen (American/British) and I also lived in Germany while growing up. I was taught to eat the “European” way and I have always done so. I’ve actually had friends comment on it while eating out and telling me that it’s weird. Also, when I’m in Scotland, it doesn’t even phase me to drink from the tap, here in the US, no way! I drink filtered or bottled water. Although, I lived in Berlin in the 80’s and we drank bottled water because you could actually see sediment sink to the bottom in a glass of tap water. More than often though, even though I’ve mostly lived in the US, I think a lot of US customs are strange, but that could be because I grew up with a Scottish mother.

[@SamGoggins]

I really like the way you do your Intro

[@MrJueKa]

actually a happy person if you only have such small problems in life ... Cheers ! 😀🍀 do some research on the internet and you'll see that a lot of the recycling system in Germany is a mess too, there's always more incinerated than recycled and a lot of plastic waste is sold far away abroad without checking what happens to it there to put it simply, waste incineration plants need supplies in order to also heat the houses connected to them, so-called "district heating" as a reason to continue burning plastic waste in these plants

[@papalaz4444244]

That thing of cutting up your food like a child, then eating with one hand, is very bizzare to many people outside the USA lol

[@wolf1066]

The water thing is something I encountered chatting with Americans in forums. They were horrified that I did not have water filters or buy bottled water - especially when they learned we got our water from a large tank in the back yard that held rainwater collected from our roof. Apparently, my death from poisoning/disease was imminent. I couldn't understand what the fuss was about, given I'd been drinking rainwater off various roofs since I was a child and very rarely died from it. These people wouldn't even drink _town-supply_ water straight from the tap - and I subsequently discovered that there's nothing wrong with US town-supply water... the water straight from taps (faucets) in New York actually tested more pure than numerous brands of commercial bottled water. They were totally convinced that drinking water straight out of a faucet was a death sentence.

[@heinzdreissig2536]

You are not the only one

[@martinbruhn5274]

The water quality in Germany can vary quite widely. In the black forest, where I'm from, we have naturally really crisp, refreshing and great tasting water. But when I lived in Karlsruhe (which is squeezed right between the black forest and the rhine river, so it's not actually far away), while the water was perfectly safe to drink, the taste was just completely disgusting. Because they get their water from wells in in river sediments of the rhine river, it is full of solubles, full of chalk. The water leaves a white stain immediately in your glass, after just one filling. The water tastes like, if you're wipink a black board, squeeze the water afterwards out of the sponge and then drink that.

[@wora1111]

Guy from Karlsruhe here: The water is not that bad and it usually is not from the Rheinebene but out of the Hardtwald. But it is what we call "Hartes Wasser", containing diluted calcium carbonate. Deshalb habe ich auch einen Wasserenthärter und dahinter sehr gut schmeckendes Wasser!

[@martinbruhn5274]

@@wora1111 Maybe it's not disgusting to you, because you are used to it, but to me it was just that.

[@jennyh4025]

I grew up in the outskirts of the Ruhrgebiet, have family in different parts of Germany and live in Cologne now. I have to say, that the water actually tastes extremely different, depending on the source. Where I grew up, the water had a pure and fresh taste, in Düsseldorf it was disgusting, somehow „stale“, the smaller towns were sometimes good, sometimes not so good and in Cologne, it actually depends on the part of town you are in. In the western parts, it’s usually 🤮 and in the eastern parts of town it can be quite nice.

[@wora1111]

@@martinbruhn5274 More probably because I live just outside of Karlsruhe, so there may be a different source. Plus the Wasserenthärter which also makes a lot of a difference.

[@thisisme9168]

@@jennyh4025 ich bin in duesseldorf aufgewachsen, da schmeckte mir das Wasser auch nicht, als ich dann in Kaarst wohnte, eine kleine Stadt, Naehe Neuss da war es super, im Odenwald hatten wir das Beste, weich und schmeckte, wie aus ner Quelle I'm Schwarzwald. Jetzt wohn ich in Rheinland-Pfalz und das Wasser ist sehr hart, aber es ist eiskalt, als kaeme es aus ner Quelle, die Suedliche-Weinstrasse(Pfaelzer-Wald) hat auch ein gutes Trinkwasser. In Karlsruhe jedoch schmeckte mir das Wasser auch nicht. Aber ich gebe dir absolut recht, es kommt darauf an, wo du grade lebst, jedoch meine ich, das grade in den grossen Städten, das Wasser nicht so dolle schmeckt.. Viel. Liegt es an den langen Leitungen?

[@hape3862]

FYI: You don't have to wash your plastic waste even in Germany. "Löffelrein" is the only requirement. 🤪

[@HayleyAlexis]

Echt? I got yelled at by an old grandma telling me I was not allowed to "recycle" my dirty stuff... It was quite annoying 😆

[@hape3862]

@@HayleyAlexis Kinder, ihr müßt euch mehr zutrauen! Ihr laßt euch von Erwachsenen belügen Und schlagen. - Denkt mal: Fünf Kinder genügen, Um eine Großmama zu verhauen. 👵🏻 (Joachim Ringelnatz 1883-1934)

[@fairgreen42]

@@HayleyAlexis It's going to be rinsed anyway. So it's recommended to not rinse it at home. Waste of resources.

[@MsXlr8urself]

No I agree, all the cities I’ve lived in or visited have terrible faucet water. I feel like it makes me even more dehydrated? The first time I tried well water was in Belize, even the food in Belize is better. I actually just came back from there, so this is all fresh in my mind. Lol

[@nicnic6679]

Fork left, knife right (GabeL links, MesseR rechts). This is how we teach our children to eat with a fork and knife. So you can remember what comes in which hand 😁

[@HayleyAlexis]

Thank you for this helpful little trick!

[@nicnic6679]

@Hayley Alexis you're welcome. I like "Eselsbrücken", so you can sometimes remember things well. But I have to admit that when I don't have to cut something on the plate, eg pasta (I live in Germany but I'm Italian, so i have a lot of it), I use my right hand... it's definitely more comfortable being right-handed

[@oldb-1kenobi]

I grew up in the country, we all had a hand dug well in the back yard and it tasted fantastic, nothing better than ice cold well water out of a metal cup on a hot day! I never used a 'butter knife' to cut anything until moving to Germany, where I grew up a spoon was for cereal and our fork was for everything else...my wife is German and I embarrass her to no end with my lack of "table manners", although I have gotten better.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

5:25 Hang on a second, Hayley. I think you need to add a few _qualifiers_ to your vilification of faucet water. Maybe you've told me before how much traveling you've done in the US and it has slipped my mind. I don't know. I, for one, have never drunk faucet water in _Florida,_ though I _have_ had occasion to drink the faucet water in Connecticut, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Washington State, Oregon, California and Hawaii. 😳 Wow. I had to stop and consider those, just now. I really _have_ done a lot of _traveling_ in the US, in my day. Anyhow, perhaps _I_ should now qualify that most of the faucet water in question _here_ is from the taps of Naval bases, airports and truck stops, so maybe that's different. I've never encountered tap water in the US that smelled like chlorine, though I _have_ encountered a lot of press about _extraordinarily_ old infrastructure. I've read we have pipes in this country that were put in place at the time of the Civil War.

[@HayleyAlexis]

It was not something that I really noticed until after living in Germany... I somewhat "smelt" and tasted the difference but I really started to notice after I moved here

[@gordonwallin2368]

We don't do that switching of silverware thing in Canada; I think it's strictly an American thing. Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

[@jo-annewoerle3390]

I live in Canada and we have always taken our shoes off when we come into the house. Maybe it's because I grew up on a farm and there was always something getting tracked in with us. Also, winter. I'm sure northern US states would agree. If we didn't remove our shoes the floors would be pretty filthy. And definitely never walk in with your boots on.

[@Opa_Andre]

Really interesting observations especially as how you do something usually runs in the subconscious without thinking about it. So if someone asks you how you count (either the German way starting with the thumb or the US way starting with the pointing finger) you probably can't tell because you didn't think about it. But if you want to check how you do it, you think of it beforehand in order to be able to check but this then might influence the way you are doing it if you know what I mean...

[@HayleyAlexis]

Sometimes I count with my thumb and sometimes I do not. I try not to think too hard about everything because I could make myself go crazy LOL

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

I never knew anyone that started counting with the pointing finger,I'm a New Zealander and I would start with the pinky. I find it easier because I can hold my thumb across all four finger nails to hold them in place while counting off, to stop the pinky coming up with the 3rd finger (if counting from the thumb or pointing finger). Funny how we have these silly little cultural differences.

[@peggiescraftcafe7117]

My sister lives in Florida. It has THE worst water I've ever tasted.!

[@clivewilliams3661]

In UK we pride ourselves on the quality of our mains water i.e. the potable water. As a minimum, all the points where you could ingest water, the kitchen tap, the bathroom wash basin (where you clean your teeth) and any other outlet will be of potable quality. this stems from the passion the Victorians had for sanitation and the relief from cholera. Our water has been proved to be purer and less harmful than any bottled or spring water. One of the problems we had when visiting family in Germany (Westfalia) was that we could never brew a decent cup of tea even though we used our own English teas, which we put down to the local water. The German eating etiquette you describe is common throughout Europe. Maybe it was born out of the need to keep your knife ready in the right hand should someone try to steal your food?

[@Cadfael007]

It was so hard as a young kid to learn how to use the fork. Then the knife was added, I denied to switch the fork to the other hand because I knew how to use it with my right hand. It was much easyer for me to add the left handed knife. I am NOT lefthanded! I just wanted to keep the fork in my right hand when I was young.

[@Kloetenhenne]

Why would a person who holds the fork in their right hand be left-handed?

[@chrstiania]

@@Kloetenhenne because usually people have the fork the left hand and the knife in the right. lefthanded people sometimes use the other hand. I'm left handed and people are sometimes confused that I still hold the fork in my left hand

[@Kloetenhenne]

@@chrstiania I hold the fork in my left hand, too. With or without a knife 🤷🏼‍♀️ I honestly don't get why people would be confused by that

[@fuerstmetternich1997]

I do the exact same thing. The only thing my left hand is capable of doing is cutting 😂

[@Cadfael007]

@@fuerstmetternich1997 Well; my left hand is also capable to hold and drink out of a beer bottle. With beer I am "both-handed" and if necessary, I would try it with my feet!😃

[@sundance81677]

Seriously. I don’t forget my reusable bags at home, sometimes I forget to grab them out of the trunk before I go inside the grocery store. I always kick off my shoes when I come home as well as locking the door when I walk in. I can’t remember the last time I drank tap water. I don’t even feed it to my animals. I’m not ready for super powers or my animals’ eyes to glow green bc of the toxicity. I’m a fork in the right hand, knife in the left, no switching. I couldn’t imagine having a meal where my hands weren’t in my lap when I’m not eating. I’m just so used to doing it after being told as a child “Elbows off the table!” 🤷‍♀️

[@V100-e5q]

But it is one thing to rest your elbows on the table, like an American eating a burger, and to keep your hands completely off it. We were always told too not to rest the elbows, and the body by them, on the table. That was/is considered bad manners. But the hands could remain there. Not that it was required. It is convenient to keep utensils in the hands without constantly changing them. Mr. Knigge developed his guidance for good manners because they made practical sense. And not putting up some artificial rules.

[@stefanfrank4054]

The most people have their fix hand to use a fork and a knife. If i only need a fork for a meal i use the left hand but if i also need a knife , the forks switch to the right hand. Mad thing, isn't it ?

[@HayleyAlexis]

I always wonder about this concept as well.. especially because I am NOT left handed

[@DonnieX6]

same for me, just mirrored. I guess it is because you primarily use your dominant hand, so if you need a knife, then the fork goes to your "weak" side instead.

[@herrmeistermann2426]

I am one those multi nationals. I do the same things in both countries - atleast with the seven points mentioned in the video. I just can't make up my mind if it's the germans that do things the danish way, or it is the danes that do things the german way.... or maybe we are just one people 🤣🤣

[@kaengurus.sind.genossen]

Denmark almost joined the North German Confederation, so...

[@claesmansson9070]

If I walk in the house with outside shoes on cause I forgot something inside,I just use my empty catfood plastic bags,stand on them and skate on the carpet to get my sunglasses or whatever I forgot inside and then skate outside again.

[@Nynke_K]

so many relatable things, but the cutlery switch! 😮😮😮😮 how is that a thing?

[@jessicaely2521]

My aunt out in Bourbon Missouri the best water had the best tasting tap water ever. It was a million times better than Germany's. The secret was it was spring water.

[@klaushohmann1101]

The worst thing that can happen to you with German tap water is a higher lime content.For this we have installed a filter and already we have very good drinking water from the tap.

[@durrcodurr]

I've lived in Germany all my life, but I've known only 1 or 2 families that actually enforced 'shoes off' in their homes. All the others didn't care. -- Funny what you said about the tap water in the US -- I've always drunk the tap water in the US, when I was there, and thought it was pretty good (even in Florida). I also liked the drinking fountains everywhere, and the free water you get in the restaurants.

[@wolfsmaid6815]

I´d say it´s a question of respect: I won´t go into other peoples homes with my dirty outside shoes, it´s just inconsiderate.

[@chrst7346]

I believe it is rather a question of generations over here in Germany. The issue of (not) bringing dirt into the house seems to be a younger generations thing, whereas within my parents generation they would probably consider it as impolite to force a guest to take off his or even worse her shoes, running around in socks and getting cold feet … 😂 or even selfish because you beeing keen on the cleanliness of your own home… Just think about an evening invitation.. the ladies wearing dresses and matching high heels or so…. Taking off the shoes definitely would destroy the whole ensemble… 😂

[@HerrJarvinen]

About washing plastic stuff to recycle it. If you use hot water to clean the plastic stuff you then recycle, you are actually wasting so much energy that your recycling turn into wasting resources and adding CO2. It's best to toss the dirtiest plastics into garbage bin or recycle them dirty (without using heated water). other than that I'm all for recycling and avoiding wasteful living. If one would heat the water with some waste energy or by using excess solar power or by using solar heater, then the washing of plastic cups and bottles could make sense. However, we still don't have excess solar or wind power... that's still years and years away in the future for most of us.

[@nenetubiduba3628]

Hayley, I pretty sure you did a video about it before, maybe you can update or something? BC as my #1 american-german-ambassador I need you to explain the "German stare" I honestly still don't get it 😄 I've seen many videos, tictocs, reels about how Germans stare all the time and people feel offended - and I did my own field-research, trying to verify, probably staring a lot during the process - and all I found is, that people look at each other, whenever they see someone. Is this already staring? I'm really confused 🙈😅

[@dieteroffermann3880]

In wich Hand you hold the fork without a knife? I think the most people do this with the right hand!

[@airlag]

You said "turn the knob". We don't have knobs to turn ;) This might be a translation issue. Our doorknobs don't look like a round knob but like a lever or a handle. Drinkable water from the kitchen sink is one of the best things here :D

[@HayleyAlexis]

😭🥴😆 I didn’t even notice that!!

[@stefanjung4454]

Manchmal denke ich, ich würde mich in den Staaten bestimmt blamieren. Weil ich ein Europäer und geborener Deutscher bin. Der Tag wird kommen an dem ich mal rüber fliege! Wahrscheinlich ist es besser ich nehme mir eine Guide an die Seite... Das wird bestimmt interessant.

[@all_in_for_JESUS]

Ich war 1999 mal in den USA. Damals gab es diese ganzen Infos ja noch nicht im Internet wie heute. Wahrscheinlich hab ich mich in den Augen der Amerikaner wie die Axt im Walde benommen. Vor allem im Supermarkt. 😂😱

[@Nikioko]

The faucet? Oh, you mean the tap. 😁

[@temilybadillaserrano6373]

Do you know how to drive? If so, do you do it in the same way in both countries? I'm curious

[@lazyperfectionist1]

What a difference a culture makes. Even a relatively _minor_ difference in culture. In _Germany,_ it's the norm for people to keep their doors _locked._ In _Canada_ on the other hand, at least during the _day,_ it's the norm for people to leave their doors _unlocked._ When people are at work, when it's night, and when people are out of town, I'm sure it's different (because of course, there's a _reason_ the doors in Canada _have_ locks), but during the day, when folks are at home, the doors are typically _unlocked._

[@Nikioko]

When you are at home, you don't lock your in Germany. You keep itclose, but unlocked. It couldn't easily be opened from the outside without a key anyway.

[@ssm445]

Huh? I don't lock my door other than when on holiday. When I am at home, I don't even shut the door when temperatures are above say 20°C. I have never seen anyone in Germany lock their doors when at home, ever!

[@lucylane7397]

We never locked our doors when at home in the uk

[@_Yannex]

How is about dreaming in each country? Or doesn't that matter?

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Well now, Hayley, how come whoever you're visiting in the US doesn't keep their reusable grocery bags in their _car?_

[@petervan1353]

So a certain switch gets flicked when you move continents.. very interesting! While in Germany you live more conscious and in the US you almost automatically follow the herd kinda thing?

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yeah... Some things are not as "bad" I suppose but they are interesting things I observe. Mike notices it a lot when I am back from the USA. I always wonder why though... because at the end of the day some are not things that are "follow the herd" type of habits

[@ssm445]

So there's no glass bottles in the US? I can't imagine that. I mean, other than water, beverages from plastic bottles is just a last resort for me, not because of the environment (glass bottles are not that environmental friendly as some may think), but because of the taste. It's just so much better from a glass bottle. That said, I only drink coke from cans and buy a can once in a while (like once or twice a month), but am feeling not too good about it.

[@jeremyhelquist]

It’s extremely rare to find glass bottles in the USA. It’s probably been since the late 80s or 90s when everything switched to plastic. I’m like you and despise the taste coming from plastic. My order preference is: fountain, glass, can, plastic. You can, on occasion, find import soda in glass like Mexican Coke. You can also find one or two US companies that may sell in glass, like IBC that sales root beer and cream sodas (but I understand most Europeans don’t like root beer 😂).

[@RevStickleback]

The US way of using the knife and fork always seems utterly baffling to people in Europe, because it just looks some cumbersome and unnecessary. Usually with cultural differences you can kind of se why someone might prefer their way, but it doesn't seem to offer any advantage at all.

[@ThomasTVP]

#1 Bringing shopping bags to the supermarket: Increasingly a thing in Germany, in the past it was limited to little old ladies, but with heightened ecological awareness, many people now bring their bags instead of using the ones offered by the store. #2 Taking off shoes in German homes: Sorry, NOT a thing here. It's a thing in Japan(!), but not here. I expect NOBODY to take off their shoes when they enter my home, and I don't think anybody expects me to either unless the host is Asian. I DO expect visitors to WIPE THEIR SHOES before they enter though. #3 Locks and keys. Older homes: Keys. Newer homes: Electronic keys. But always, ALWAYS lock them. #4 Faucet water. Yes, it's drinking quality all over Germany, but the hardness varies. We use it eg to make our own soda and lemonade, using Sodastream. #5 Plastic recycling. Yes, we do, but many people don't do it properly. #6 Dinner etiquette: Basically. the only rule around here is not to place your elbows on the table when eating, the elbows are supposed to be in the air. This is what parents tell you in your youth.

[@amyh.627]

Locking front doors to stairwells separately, although they cannot be opened without a key anyway, is not a typical German idiosyncrasy, but only from weirdos in southern Germany

[@Sunaki1000]

3:23 yeah we natives do that to. 4:33 is sad how the "greatest Nation" has not only more Crime but also worse secured Doors and Windows.

[@sorayakapetti]

Dear Haley, one question: are you suppressing you voice on purpose or do you naturally speak as quiet? It sounds like you never breath completely in and out. It sounds unusual 🤔

[@warmsnow]

Nothing more important than locking the front door. 😱 I live on the 13th floor. But nevertheless I feel the urge to instantly lock my door from the inside haha otherwise I don't feel safe! And yeh nothing bout our tap water 💦😊

[@klauskruger6187]

9:30 Wow! Knife and forke simply switch. That's magic.

[@psibiza]

the knife & fork thing is actually terrible. I've seen my American co-workers do this as well. And when they come over to Europe they are struggling with the etiquette a little bit and don't have all the details, but they know what to do with knife & fork and how to eat properly. Funny, that they do it "the American way" when they're at home.

[@kathringroll8581]

Hi, je mehr du deine Haare färbst oder bearbeitet, desto professioneller wirst du und es sieht jedes Mal besser aus. Ich sage ' Hut ab' :)

[@ernestmccutcheon9576]

Hey Haley, in 10 years when you go back to the States, you will probably only do 3 of those things😉

[@HayleyAlexis]

I hope so!

[@axl1002]

There is no such thing as plastic recycling in Germany, they just ship the plastic waste to Poland where it's burnt.

[@roberth.5938]

When she pronounced possiBEL the German way 😂

[@computeraddic675]

Mmm,a arm growing out of my head?Hmm,could be usefull!😄

[@banchnotok]

An der Gabelhaltung erkennt man immer amerikanische Touristen

[@manfredfischer8944]

Ist ja klar das mit der Hand in den Schoß: Wenn du Pizza ohne Messer und Gabel isst, wohin mit der anderen Hand. Beim Hendl im Bierzelt ist's genau so. Aber hier sind dann die fettigen Finger am Masskrug das Problem!

[@thorstenfautz4611]

Is there an Ewok behind you??? Yeah I love Star Wars!

[@HayleyAlexis]

Of course! I have a few other Star Wars goodies sprinkled in a few of my other videos

[@roberthernandez2989]

I eat the same here or in germany. I change for nobody.

[@peggiescraftcafe7117]

Agreed.

[@franzmannn]

Does somebody know why Americans cut their food then lay down the knife, change the fork to the other hand and eat only "one handed"? This is a really weird behaviour but why do they do that?

[@jackieejaz5711]

Yes I can admit the recycling knowledge in the USA isn’t good 😢😢

[@robertzander9723]

Servus Hayley. With the prevailing food culture in the USA, it is actually surprising that there is such a thing as cutlery at all. A large carving knife and a few spoonbills would be sufficient in the worst case. 😁😉 Joke!! It is said that the Germans like to make things unnecessarily more complicated than they need to be, but this back and forth with the cutlery would drive me crazy. It is now well known that the Americans do not consider the environment to be particularly important, which is a pity, because we still only have one planet, if any environmental protection projects are used, then only if you can make a profit from them. As with the wind turbines in Texas, they are now being built because the oil is running out and there are just a few alternatives. So wind power is necessary, after all there is enough space for it. Does the US actually have something like this, a Department of the Environment and agencies responsible for protection?

[@jessicaely2521]

The US has the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). It was created in 1970 by President Richard Nixon. It was the EPA that started emission testing. It was the EPA that made European cars more difficult to transport to the US because of the amount of pollution your cars pumped out. The CEO of Volkswagen tried to cheat the Emissions system in place across the world. Audi, Opel, Mercedes, Fiat/Chrysler, Nissan, Renault, Jeep, and Porsche did the same shit. Only 1 American car brand cheated the emission level set for the US (that we know of 🤣).

[@jefflewis4]

Switching back and forth with cutlery as Americans do it is not a big deal, it really isn't. You don't have to constantly switch back and forth like some imply. Americans use the fork often for cutting and scooping food. So you don't need to use the knife on every single bite. You generally use the knife when you need to cut food (like beef) that would be difficult to cut with a fork. Because of this use of the fork, there are many meals Americans will eat completely without ever touching the knife.

[@langzeekoei]

bwahahahahaha, Hi Hayley. Wanna know how many of those expensive bags I own?

[@Nikioko]

Of course, the cutlery stays in the hands. Only children drop them and switch sides.

[@pinkhope84]

Table manners in the US are really bad. In tv shows or movies and in real live . It allways something i notice 🙈

[@teachersusan3730]

I hate it when people leave their shoes on in the house ….

[@rolflin]

Wellcome to Europa. Spain is more or less the Same

[@Revi-2020]

uff ... you didn't died ... 😂👍

[@langzeekoei]

Another thing here in Germany is that the people here hold their knives and forks like they're holding a pen. How on earth is this a good grip? Try it sometime, you feel like an idiot.

[@ljumad]

What about German/European police and American police how are thay educated. Why German/European police never pull they gun ... Was ist mit der deutschen/europäischen Polizei und der amerikanischen Polizei, wie sind sie ausgebildet? Warum deutsche/europäische Polizisten nie die Waffe ziehen ...

[@suppengroove]

please keep your german-mindset for wearing shoes indoors

[@CarlosLopez58]

Plastic recycle is a scam. They don't recycle plastic...¿Have you ever seen a recycled plastic bottle?

[@kerstineisenhut8151]

Strong hand, right hand, needs the "Kraft" to cut meat. Fullstop.

[@Mayagick]

If you consider it not okay to waste way to much plastic in Germany, why not too in the US? Think of going to heaven and as you enter you see a lot of animals parade left and right, but no cats or dogs. You have the idea… it's all the lifestock you ate and they don't blame you, but it's quite a lot, and you're surprised to see also turtles and a whale and you are pretty sure you never ate any piece of them and you're right. But they might got choked on the one _überflüssig_ plastic bag in your groceries, because it's so convenient and everybody is doing it- why worry? Sleep well.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Oh lord Maya... You must not be fun during dinner parties or family gatherings... Must be hard being friends/family to you.

[@HayleyAlexis]

and yes... I sleep well at night- with my ass hanging out and my feet dangling from underneath the covers. I hope you sleep just as well!! God bless honey